Bent
by K-yers
Summary: With the new school year, Teanna Waid is ready to face what trials she's been warned of. But with the Alpha pack closing in and sacrifices being made, facing these trials will prove to be harder than expected.
1. 1: Run Away

**A/N: Hello world and thanks for clicking on "Bent". Firstly, this IS the third installment in a series and I highly suggest that you read the first two stories otherwise you'll be very confused. Don't say I didn't warn you. So without further ado, here is "Bent". :)**

* * *

It was Derek's idea to come here. I hadn't wanted to, but he had said that it would help. So my parents had booked me a ticket to North Carolina and Mom and I had come back for the first time in years. Mom was waiting outside the hospital while I was in here, bracing myself for what was probably going to be one of the hardest things I'd ever done.

"You know you're his first visitor in twelve years?" The nurse asked as I signed in. I didn't respond, feeling a lump in my throat. The nurse waved me on and I entered the permanent ward where he was sprawled out on his bed.

John Barren was a huge man, even now in his current state. His brown hair was speckled with white and he had stubble on his sagging face. Watery hazel eyes stared around the room in a haze. His eyes turned and found me: only his eyes were able to move. The rest of his body was paralyzed.

Hestia had finally revealed to me in a dream who had attacked me when I was four. She told me what had happened to him and where he was. When I told Derek, he had immediately encouraged me leaving to visit him. Give us both closure, he had called it. Barren eyed me down for a moment before widening; he recognized me.

"You," Barren said softly. I approached him cautiously. Even though he couldn't hurt me ever again, this was still the man who almost killed me and who had given me the ugly scar on my throat. I sat down beside Barren's bed. "How are you still alive?"

"You failed at trying to kill me," I answered shortly. Barren closed his eyes and sighed.

"Look around. This is what trying to prove myself got me." Barren opened his eyes again. "My pack thought I was weak. Then one of them guessed that a kid in the neighborhood was the phoenicis and I sent out the order." He glanced back at me as much as he could. "What about you? Have you found a pack?"

"Yeah, I've got a pack." I said stiffly. I didn't feel exactly comfortable, but Derek sent me here to make peace. So that's what I had to do. "My Alpha sent me out here. He wants me to make peace, so that's what i'm trying to do."

Barren stared at me. "If things had played out differently, you would've been apart of my pack. The pack I used to control."

I snorted. "Then I guess I should thank you for trying to murder me twelve years ago." Barren laughed himself and we talked about normal things: weather and stuff like that. After a half-hour, I said goodbye for the last time and we parted ways. It was enlightening to meet my attacker but at the same time I felt a stab of pity for him.

* * *

A few weeks later, Chelsea couldn't stop shaking her leg from nerves. Today was her first day of high school. And I was going into my junior year. I pulled into my assigned parking space.

"Hey," I said. Chelsea glanced at me with fear. "You're going to do just fine." She nodded and got out of the car. I followed until I found two of my favorite faces.

Scott and Stiles were standing on the sidewalk together. I walked ahead of Chelsea and the boys smiled brightly at me. I hadn't seen them since school let out. That's what you get when everyone's trying to get their lives together.

"Oh Tea, it feel so nice to be healed again," Stiles said gladly as we broke from out hug. I hugged Scott and introduced them to Chelsea. Scott shook her hand and poor Chelsea turned red from his attention. I reached up and pet Stiles's longer hair.

"Nice hair, by the way," I said laughing. Stiles reached and ran his fingers through it, causing the dark hair to flip back into place.

"Thanks, I like it."

Chelsea broke off from us right when she found her friends. I walked between Scott and Stiles, feeling happy to stand beside my two best friends again. But then Scott stopped suddenly and turned around to look at something. Stiles and I stopped too and glanced at each other. What had Scott seen...or heard? I couldn't tell.

Whatever it was, Scott snapped out of it. He gruffly told us to forget about it. Stiles and I shrugged and obeyed, ready for the first day of the new school year. We all stopped by our lockers (Scott nearly tore his off when it wouldn't open right away). All the while, I was looking for Isaac.

Soon after the fiasco with Gerard and the Kanima, Isaac and I pretty much made our relationship official. Derek hadn't been a fan of two of his pack mates dating but Isaac insisted. Alison and Lydia were both happy for me, as was Chelsea. Then again, she had been "shipping" me and Isaac ever since he sneaked into my room that night.

I walked into English with Scott and Stiles on my heels. Scott and Stiles sat down by each other's side and I sat down in front of Stiles. Lydia came in and sat down right next to me. She smiled at me and started to go on about her summer. I near;y missed her talking about her dog, Prada, biting her this morning when Alison walked in.

Did everybody have this class? When we had gotten our schedules, Isaac and I had this class together too. Alison sat down stiffly directly in front of Scott, and I reminded myself that they had broken up. I shook my head at the stroke of bad luck right when my phone started to buzz inside my pocket.

Apparently everyone else's phone started to go off too. I frowned at Lydia right as her ringtone of a One Direction song started. I opened the new text message and began to read but somebody else already got there first.

"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky-seemed to lead into the heart of immense darkness."

I looked up to the reader. Our teacher was really pretty with wavy dark brown hair with wide doe-brown eyes. She smiled at all of us with a mouth that was painted bright red. "It's the closing line to the first book we'll be reading in this class-'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. And it's also the last text any of you will receive in my class. So please turn off your phones."

Everyone obeyed the order reluctantly, not really wanting to give up their mobile devices. After a few minutes of being given the syllabus and class expectation, I was already looking forward to the end of the year. The door to the classroom opened and I recognized the principal who had introduced me to Beacon Hills. It was good to see him back. Then he called Scott into the hallway.

I watched my friend leave the class. Ms. Blake had a word with him before coming back to write our homework assignment on the board. I was writing it down, trying to stay on top of everything, when a loud bump sounded against the window.

Blake turned away from the board to stare at the window. I stared too; a dark red smear was printed on the wall from where the bird had hit. I glanced nervously at Stiles and Lydia; they looked as worried as I did. Blake crossed the room until she was standing right next to me. I grew cold when I saw the tidal wave of black birds flying directly toward our window.

The birds hit the window with several loud and dull thuds that made everyone flinch. Finally, the window shattered as the cloud of birds flew into the classroom. People screamed as birds got tangled in their hair, pecked at their faces. I ducked out of my seat and landed hard on the ground. Blake had scrambled to her desk, grabbing any nearby students and holding them close. Stiles was shielding Lydia with his own body. Alison and I found each other in the middle of the chaos and clung to each other.

Birds slammed into walls and died. After what felt like hours, every single bird died and the class, bruised and frightened, stood up to their feet. I stared around with Alison at my side and Stiles and Lydia met my eyes. I had been told by Hestia, Tanya, and Morrell that someone worse than Gerard was coming.

And it looked like they were already here.


	2. 2: Rubik's Cube

"And she just left you there?" I asked Stiles through the phone. Isaac was pacing along the large window in Derek's condo, stressed out and slightly fearful, though he'd never admit it. Stiles's call had come from out of the blue and he started rambling about how this girl from his nursery school had wanted to have sex with him, and then just left then alone.

"Yes! I mean, she told me to go get a condom, which were freaking huge by the way!"

"Stiles I don't want to discuss condoms with you." I said rolling my eyes. Isaac stopped pacing to flash his eyes at the phone. I mouthed at him not to worry about it. Isaac huffed and continued his angry pacing. Derek watched him go back and forth from the table. "Anyway, continue about being stood up." I said.

"So after I got the condoms, I went back to the cellar. But Heather wasn't even there! You're a girl; what would you do?"

"What would I do if I wanted to have sex with you?" I asked. Now Isaac looked like he wanted to rip someone's head off. Derek sternly told him to calm down. Isaac ignored him and stormed over to where I was standing. He snatched the phone from my hand and growled into it.

"How about you stop talking to my girlfriend about having sex with her, alright?" Isaac snarled. Then he handed the phone back to me. I shook my head at him and brought the phone back to my ear where Stiles was trying to explain that he didn't want to have sex with me.

"Why would she stand me up if she had wanted some of me?" Stiles asked, now sounding hurt. I sighed and thought about what I would've done if I had been Heather and she realized that she was going to have sex with Stiles.

"Maybe she figured that she wasn't ready." I told Stiles. "After you left she could've realized that she didn't want it yet." I left out the part that she just might not wanted Stiles. He groaned from the other line.

"Man, and I was pumped for it to!"

"I didn't need to hear that." I said. Stiles realized what he said and backtracked. I finally managed to get off the phone with him and I joined Derek and Isaac again. Peter had finally arrived.

"Stiles is having girl problems?" Peter asked me nonchalantly. I glared at him and wished that I had chosen a better place to have a private conversation with someone. The last thing Stiles needed was Peter asking about his love life.

Peter then went on to explain what the process was of removing memories. Isaac sat down stiffly in his chair as Peter grazed his claws along the back of his neck. Derek and I stood side by side, close but not too close. According to Peter, now that I had chosen Derek's pack, I was Derek's second-in-command. I wasn't a fan of being that important that fast, but Derek seemed to trust my instinct and also seemed to enjoy having me around more, so he made it clear that it was my job to be his right-hand-girl.

"One slip could paralyze or even kill someone," Peter said as he placed his claws on Isaac's neck. I flashed a look at Derek, thinking about John Barren. If Peter messed this up, Isaac could become like Barren, or worse. If that happened, I would have to set Peter on fire again. Then he plunged his claws into Isaac's neck.

I watched in pain as Isaac struggled against Peter's claws. Peter's eyes glowed ice blue as he tried to see Isaac's stolen memories. The whole concept of stolen memories was blurry to me, but I went along with it.

Isaac and Peter broke apart. Both of them were gasping. I rushed forward to Isaac, checking to see if he needed to be healed. When he assured me that he was fine, we both stood up and faced Peter.

"He found them; Boyd and Erica," Peter was telling Derek. "I heard them talking about tomorrow night. Deucalion apparently promised that they'd be dead by the full moon."

* * *

Alison and Lydia showed me the bruises on their arms. I didn't really see anything but Scott was convinced that it could be something. So he called Derek to the school. I tried to tell him that Derek wouldn't like it if he was dragged down here for nothing.

During free period, I waited with Alison and Lydia for Scott and Stiles to return with Derek. The entire time, Alison glared at me.

I finally had enough of it. "Alright Alison; is there a reason that you don't like me anymore? Or is it just because it's easier to hate me than to do anything else?"

"You joined Derek's pack," Alison answered bluntly. I glared at her.

"If you want to get into technicalities, I was always a part of his pack." I said smoothly.

"How can you stand to be near him after everything he's done?"

"And what exactly has he done?" I asked, feigning interest. Lydia looked between us like a tennis match as we fought.

"Well, let's see: he killed his uncle so that Scott is now permanently a werewolf. He bit Isaac, Erica, and Boyd and now two of them are who know's where. He murdered my mom for crying out loud!"

"Derek killed Peter out of revenge for his family. I don't blame him the slightest for that. And yeah, he bit them, but honestly, who even noticed any of them before it? Isaac was afraid to talk to me, Erica was a doormat for every person in this school, and Boyd sat by himself every damn day of his life. Erica and Boyd may be missing, but Derek is busting his butt trying to find them. Most Alphas would leave them be. And it wasn't Derek who killed your mom, it was your Hunter traditions."

I finished my rant and sat back in my chair. Alison glared at me, her eyes starting to fill up with angry tears. The door opened and as Scott, Stiles, and Derek entered, I left. Derek stopped me before I got out the door.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern etched into every feature of his face. I nodded and said that I'd meet up with him later. Derek nodded reluctantly but let me leave anyway.

I was walking down the hall to Isaac's American Government class when I accidentally ran into someone. I was surprised when I looked up to see a set of twins who looked like Abercrombie and Fitch models. One of them smiled and continued walking. The other grazed his eyes up and down my body in a way that freaked me out. He walked me much more slowly, not stopping his undressing me with his eyes. When he finally turned around and joined his twin in walking down the hall, I felt the same dread I had felt when Isaac had become a werewolf. But this dread was a hell of a lot fiercer than that one.

Those two were dangerous. I knew that they were werewolves, and they just had to be on the enemies' side. I waited until they turned a corner away from me before continuing to Isaac's class.


	3. 3: Out From Under

I drove to the animal clinic with a string of other cars behind me. I could see Derek's black sports car right behind me and behind him, Stiles's jeep. We all pulled into the parking lot in one long line. I exited my car right as Derek and Isaac got out of the small sports car and then Stiles and Scott getting out of the jeep.

Deaton welcomed us all as he marched into the back room. The metal table had been pushed aside and had been replaced by a giant metal tub, large enough to fit a teenage boy inside. I glanced nervously at Isaac. Scott had explained his plan to me during lunch and I didn't like it. I didn't want Isaac to be that close to death without me being able to pull him back.

I had been given marching orders that I wasn't allowed to heal him while he was under. Otherwise it wouldn't work. I was just here for emotional support.

Derek, Scott, and Stiles began to fill up the tub with buckets of ice water. I flinched away as a few droplets splashed onto my bare arms. Isaac noticed the goosebumps on my arms and removed his jacket and slipped it around me.

"Can you keep this dry for me?" Isaac asked, as if he wasn't about to be forced under ice water. I nodded and slipped my arms into the sleeves, burying myself into the jacket. Isaac wrapped a muscular arm around my shoulders and held on tight. I could feel his arm shaking slightly. He was just as scared as I was, but he wasn't going to let me see that.

"By lowering your temperature, your heart rate will lower as well." Deaton told Isaac, keeping his eyes only on him. "Once your heart rate lowers enough, you will slip into a trance-like state-like hypnosis. You'll be half-transformed and this will allow us access your subconscious mind."

"How slow will it be again?" Isaac asked.

"You'll be near death," Deaton said curtly. Isaac's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat but he nodded, still refusing to let the fear show. It was time.

Isaac took off his shirt and his shoes and socks. I quietly held onto his shirt and picked up his shoes before placing it all on the metal table in the corner. I heard the ice water shift as Isaac stepped into the tub and the intake of breath from him and I clenched the corners of the table tightly.

The water splashed around some more when I turned around. Isaac was up to his waist in ice water and his face was twisted in pain. I didn't want to see this, but I couldn't bring myself to turn away. As Isaac lowered himself into the tub, Scott and Derek took up either side of him and grabbed onto his arms. I sucked in air through my teeth when they both plunged Isaac into the water.

Stiles must've sensed that I was stressing out because he zoomed over to my side and just stood close to me. I grasped his arm, grateful for his silent support. Stiles put his arm around my shoulders and as Isaac began to struggle against Derek and Scott's strength, I buried my face into Stiles's shoulder.

Deaton had to rush forward to help hold Isaac down as he tried to force his way up to the surface. I stayed buried in Stiles's shoulder, not wanting to see Isaac in that much pain. Stiles patted my arm awkwardly, remaining silent.

Isaac started to scream now. Every time he broke the surface of ice water, he would yell out random words that gurgled due to the water in his mouth. I caught things like Alpha, bank, sign. Then he screamed something that turned my blood to ice.

"Body! Dead body! It's Erica!"

I looked away from Stiles's shoulder to stare at Isaac finally breaking away from Derek, Scott, and Deaton. The three of them had backed away, shocked by what Isaac had just said. Isaac gasped and struggled for breath until Deaton snapped into action and helped him out of the tub.

Scott grabbed Isaac a towel and he quickly wrapped it around himself. I looked at Deaton, asking silently if I could heal him now. Deaton hesitated but nodded with a jerk of his head. I ran to Isaac's side and he immediately wrapped his arms around me. Isaac sighed with intense relief as warmth started to course through his veins, heating him up and giving him strength. Derek remained frozen where he stood, staring at Isaac.

"I remember," Isaac said, his voice shaking. "I remember seeing Boyd in the bank vault. It's in the Beacon Hills First National Bank. Why are you guys staring at me like that?" He finally noticed that everyone was staring at him because of what he had said.

"Isaac, you said that you saw a dead body." Stiles said softly, taking a step forward. "You said that it was Erica."

There was a moment of tense silence in which everyone absorbed that information. I thought about Erica; Erica confiding in me about her longtime crush on Stiles; Erica laughing with that manic expression on her face; Erica before and after her transformation; Erica and I slowly becoming friends again...Gone.

"It can't be true," Derek snapped from his corner. "Erica can't be dead."

"Yeah, well, Isaac said that he saw a dead body and that it was Erica. There's not a lot of room around saying something like that." Stiles tried to reason, sounding hurt and in pain. I remembered that after her transformation, Erica had actually told Stiles about her crush on him. Was it possible for him to have felt the same way?

"If Erica's dead then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Derek asked. "Isaac said that he saw a girl in there with him."

"Maybe it was that mystery girl who saved Isaac?" Scott suggested. Whoever this girl was, I wanted to find her and personally thank her for saving Isaac's butt.

"No," Isaac said. "She wasn't like us and whoever was in that vault with Boyd was."

Stiles frowned and then spoke. "What if the Alpha Pack are pitting the prisoners against each other? You know, like during full moons? It'd be a werewolf thunderdome."

"If that's the case," I said, straightening. "Then we need to make a plan to get them out. Both of them."


	4. 4: Cracked Jade

The plan was set. Derek and Scott were already waiting to get inside the bank vault. Peter and Isaac were patrolling the area, in case the Alphas tried to make a run for it. Though everyone pretty much agreed that they wouldn't run. I was to go inside by myself after Derek and Scott got through, so that I could heal Boyd and whoever was in there with him.

The alley was dark where I was hiding. Derek and Scott ducked around the next alley and disappeared from sight. I got a text from Isaac telling me to be careful. I smiled nervously to myself and turned my eyes back to the front door when I saw someone very familiar enter the building by using bolt cutters.

Now what the hell was Alison here to?

Frustrated by her insisting on being able to take care of herself, I left my hiding place and ran in right after her. The darkness of the bank surrounded me but it still wasn't hard to find Alison. I caught up to her and she whipped around to glare at me.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped at me.

"I could ask you the same question," I growled. There was the sound of loud footsteps behind us and we both turned around to see Ms. Morrell storming towards us with an angry look on her face.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Morrell snarled. Before either of us could answer she shook her head and started to shove us away from the main door; away from an escape. "Never mind; you both need to hide. Stay in this broom closet until you hear the fighting."

"What fighting?" Alison asked sharply. I glared at both of them before walking into the closet.

"Are you seriously asking her that question?" I asked. Alison glared heavily at me and closed the door. I pressed my ear up against the wood to hear Morrell's footsteps leaving us alone. "Alright; we'll wait a bit until her footsteps are completely gone. Then we have to go help Derek and Scott."

"Tea," Alison said softly. Her voice was no longer angry and annoyed. It was worried, frightened even. It was enough to make me glance sharply at her. She was shining her flashlight into the corner of the large closet and tears had started to go down her face. With fear, I followed the light beam to the corner and saw what she saw.

Erica.

A shuddering sob raked through my body and I fell to my friend's side. My hands started to glow orange but even as I grasped her upper arm, some instinct inside of me was telling me that it wouldn't be any good. Her skin was ice cold. She had been dead for too long.

That instinct didn't stop me from trying. But no matter how hard I clutched at Erica's arm, face, leg, anything, there was no change. Another sob shook me as hot and uncomfortable tears cascaded down my face. I felt Alison's hands on my shoulders as she tried to pull me away from Erica. My hands stopped glowing and I lifted my head up to scream in pain as sounds of fighting started from outside.

Rage exploded inside of me and I shoved Alison off of me so that I could stand. Ripping the door open, I stormed outside just in time to see Morrell hurrying along, guiding a blind man. She met my eyes really fast and smirked.

"Tea, we can go after Morrell or we can go save the others," Alison yelled from behind me. "By the sound of it, Derek and Scott are fighting a losing battle. It's your choice!"

I looked from Morrell and the blind man hurrying away to where the sounds of fighting was coming from. Without really thinking about the decisions, I ran past Alison and to where Derek and Scott's screams were coming from. The vault door was wide open and when I looked inside, I saw Boyd digging his claws into Scott's torso. And an unknown girl was sparring with Derek, who looked like he was doing his hardest not to fight back. Alison joined me by my side and looked down. I followed her gaze and saw the mountain ash circle going all around the vault.

Alison knelt down and broke the line and immediately Boyd and the girl snapped their heads around to stare at us.

"Oh crap," I muttered. Boyd rushed toward me, followed by that one girl. I yanked Alison by the shoulders out of the way just as the two werewolves thundered past us and through the bank lobby. The sound of shattering glass told me that they had escaped out onto the streets.

Derek stormed out of the vault and looked right over me to glare at Alison. "You shouldn't have broken the line! Now Boyd and Cora are out there, and they could be killing someone right now!"

"Derek," Scott said weakly from the vault door. "She did save our lives." Alison looked at him as if she wanted to go to him, but she forced herself not to. Derek paced and continued glaring at her.

"I'm not the one turning teenagers into killers," Alison shot back at Derek, choosing to ignore Scott's defense.

"You might not, but the rest of your family," Derek retorted. Without saying a word to either of them, I got closer to Derek and gently touched his arm. Instantly, his wounds began to stitch themselves up and the blood was soaked back into his body.

"I've made mistakes," Alison said. "But Gerard was not my fault."

"What about your mother?" Derek snapped. Alison flinched and glared at him with tears brimming inside her eyes. Derek understood and turned to Scott with raised eyebrows. I stared at the ground, finally remembering what Alison and I had discovered in the broom closet.

"Derek, there's something you should see," I whispered. Derek tore his stare from Alison and Scott down to me. He looked like he wanted to object but he nodded jerkily as Scott began to explain what had happened with Mrs. Argent. My eyes stinging with un-shed tears, I led Derek back to the closet.

He stopped short upon reaching it. I realized that he must've smelled that death was in there. I stood and waited outside while he went inside. There was a loud sob inside when Derek saw Erica's body. The tears fell down my face as Derek walked back outside looking miserable and defeated.

"I failed her," Derek muttered. "I was responsible for her; I turned her into one of us. And that got her killed." He shook and bent his head into his hands. I reached forward and pulled his hands away and hugged him tightly. Derek buried his face into my small shoulder and for a moment, I felt like I was the Alpha, comforting one of my pack.


	5. 5: Wild Ones

It had been hell that night keeping Boyd and Cora corralled. And the next day was harder, seeing who was now in my Economics class. The twins must've gotten their schedules flipped around last minute or something. Either way, they gave me the creeps. Most of the time during class, they would bend their heads together and whisper. Normally, teenaged boys muttering to each other wouldn't be a problem for me. But every now and then, one of them would look up directly at me, as if they were trying to figure me out.

Both Scott and Isaac wanted me out of that class when they heard.

"Do you really think that they know about the phoenicis?" I asked as Scott paced around my living room. Chelsea watched him from the couch and Isaac was sitting so close to me that he was nearly sitting on top of me.

Scott continued pacing. "I don't know. They obviously know that you're something otherwise they wouldn't bother."

"What if they think she's a werewolf in your pack?" Chelsea asked, adding her two cents. I shook my head.

"I don't smell like a werewolf. They know that I'm something else." I said gravely.

"Is there ever a time when you're alone with either of them?" Isaac asked, the protective boyfriend in him coming out. I hesitated before answering.

"Most of the time, no. But every Wednesday from now on Coach is separating us into groups and one of them, Aiden I think, is in mine."

"How many others are in your group?" Scott asked urgently.

"One,"

There wasn't much that anyone could do. The deadline for getting schedules changed was long gone. So the most that Scott and Isaac could do was tell me to be careful.

The next day in Economics, that one person in my group was absent. Aiden and I were, other than the rest of the class, completely alone.

"Happy Wednesday," Aiden said slyly. I nodded and tried not to read into that statement much. What did this guy have planned with his twin?

"I need two volunteers," Coach yelled from his desk. "I forgot to check my mailbox in the office this morning. Which one of you wants to leave class to go get my mail?"

"Tea and I will go," Aiden volunteered before anyone else could draw a breath. Coach nodded and told us not to go all hormonal on the way there.

Aiden and I walked down the hall in silence. I could feel my heart beating like a drum: Aiden didn't drag me outside of class out of the kindness of his heart. He was planning something, and I was terrified as to what that might mean.

I was just thinking that maybe Aiden wasn't going to do anything when a muscular hand grasped my upper arm and slung me into a broom closet. My back hit the wall and Aiden slammed the door shut behind him. This room was not big enough for a small phoenicis and an overlarge werewolf.

Aiden pressed me up against the wall by slapping down his meaty hand onto my throat. He growled lowly and I watched in horror as his fangs started to grow in.

"We know what you are," Aiden snarled. "Don't think that you can hide from us. You should've realized that sooner or later we would figure it out."

"It took you long enough," I managed through Aiden pressing down on my windpipe. Aiden growled and got closer.

"Does he ever do this, Tea?" Aiden asked me through clenched teeth. "Huh? Does he ever take out his claws on you? Do you think he'd ever dare to bring his fangs to your neck?" As Aiden said this, his claws shot out and he dug them into my shoulders. I tried not to flinch as Aiden got closer.

"You may think that Isaac is rough enough with you now, you should try getting with an Alpha." Aiden hissed. On that last word, one of Aiden's clawed hands went down and I felt the sting of tears shoot to my eyes. Aiden laughed smugly and shoved me hard against the wall before snapping away from me. Aiden left me standing there in that broom closet with my back against the wall.

I didn't leave that broom closet until after the bell rang. A part of me was telling myself that Aiden was just trying to intimidate me, the other half was telling me that he did a fantastic job at it. I wiped away the redness of my eyes and exited the safety of my closet and into the fray.

I walked slowly to where I usually meet Scott and Stiles. My stomach clenched tightly when I saw that Isaac was with them. I got close enough just enough to hear them.

"...I couldn't find her." Isaac was saying. "Usually we meet each other right after class. And when they walked by, Aiden freaking _winked _at me like he knew something. I just want to know where the hell Tea is!"

"Um, Isaac," Scott said gently, nodding slightly towards me. Isaac spun around and relief filled his face when he spotted me. He almost ran towards me but had to slow himself down. Scott and Stiles followed a little slower behind.

"Where the hell have you been?" Isaac asked. He kissed my forehead and hugged me extremely tight, showing just how worried he had been. "What happened to you and why is your heartbeat racing?"

I opened my mouth but nothing could come out. Instead more tears filled up my eyes. Isaac's eyes widened and great concern covered every inch of his face. Scott and Stiles looked just as worried behind him.

"Did the twins try anything?" Scott asked. I nodded, unable to speak. "Which one?"

"Aiden," I squeaked. Isaac's gaze darkened.

"What happened?" He asked. I didn't answer immediately, causing Isaac's eyes to flash. "Tea, what did he do to you?"

"Intimidated me?" I said, though it came out sounding like a question. "Told me that the Alpha Pack knows about me." I hesitated. "He, um, you don't want..."

Isaac put those puzzle pieces together incredibly fast.

"I'm gonna kill him," Isaac snarled. Scott zoomed forward and tried to talk him out of it. "He freaking just _touched _my girlfriend, do you really think I'm gonna let that go?"

"They're trying to get to you," Scott said. He was doing a good job at hiding the fury he was feeling. "Aiden intimidated Tea like he wanted and pissed you off. You can't give into him."

"To hell with that," Isaac snapped. He wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed. I squeezed back, comforted by contact from him. "I have gym with him next. And when I get my hands on him, I'm going to rip him to shreds."

"Tea help me out here," Scott said to me. I looked at him with a blank face.

"I want Aiden gone. I don't care how he goes, I want to see him torn apart." I said with a darkness I didn't expect from myself. Scott blinked and shook his head and Isaac and I walked together down the hall hand in hand, Isaac's thumb drawing circles in my palm.


	6. 6: Unexpected

When Isaac ran to me after gym, I thought that he was going to tell me about the twins. But when I saw the worried expression on his face, I knew that this was more than him wanting to tell me about a fight. Stiles and Scott followed behind him, both looking stressed out.

"What happened?" I asked, Isaac grabbing my shoulders and holding on tight. Several students glanced our way but otherwise ignored us. It was Stiles who answered my question.

"We found another body tied to a tree, strangled, throat slashed, every detail was the same as the first three," Stiles said gravely with hints of grief in his voice. I knew that he was thinking about his friend Heather, whose body had been found.

"It doesn't make sense," Scott was saying. "Why would the Alpha Pack go after these people? It's not like the attacks when Peter was getting everyone."

"I really don't care," Isaac growled. "This just gives me another reason to rip those twins to shreds." With that he stormed off to our next class with Mr. Harris. Scott watched him leave and looked at me.

"Can't you do anything about him?" Scott asked. I shrugged.

"You know Isaac; once he sets his mind to something, nothing can really call him off." I said.

"Can you at least try?" Scott asked miserably. I frowned at him.

"I'm not entirely sure I _want _him to," I said with heat. I turned to walk away but stopped and looked over my shoulder to Scott. "Think about this, Scott: if it had been Alison in that closet with Aiden, what would you do?"

Scott stared at me for a long time. When the bell rang we broke away from each other and walked to Mr. Harris's class. I had struck a nerve with him. Stiles said that he'd meet with us later and disappeared into the crowd. Scott and I entered Mr. Harris's junior class and took our seats. I took my spot right beside Isaac while Scott sat behind us.

About twenty minutes into Mr. Harris's lecture, Isaac jumped up out of his seat. He had been shaking his leg and had been a ticking time bomb for the entire class. Scott had been hissing behind us, trying to calm Isaac down. But nothing had worked, just like I had predicted.

The second the door shut after Isaac, Scott bolted up from his seat. "Mr. Harris I have to go to the bathroom too."

"One at a time," Mr. Harris said in his usual bored voice.

"But I really have to go," Scott objected. I glanced between the two of them, willing Harris to refuse Scott. Scott may be one of my best friends, but right now I wanted Isaac to get this done.

"Mr. McCall even if you're bladder exploded in a river of urine, I still would follow the one at a time rule," Mr. Harris said. "Is that a vivid enough picture for you?"

Scott sighed. "Yeah, that's pretty vivid." I smirked and silently thanked Harris for being a jerk. Scott shot me a look and the unmistakable sounds of fighting came from outside. Harris whipped around to the door and charged out of it. The rest of the class wasted no time following him. Scott and I shot another look at each other and we ran outside to the hall with everyone else.

"Lahey what have you done?" Harris fired at Isaac. I took in the scene from Ethan laying on the floor with a bloody nose to Isaac standing over him, looking vaguely confused. Isaac met my eyes and shook his head just a tiny bit. Whatever had happened out here, Isaac had nothing to do with it.

Harris gave Isaac lunch detention for fighting. Ethan was sent to the nurse's office, Danny shadowing him. Despite being friends with Danny, I didn't approve of his choice of romantic interest. But what was I supposed to say? Danny, you can't date Ethan because he's an evil Alpha werewolf?

That would've been an excellent conversation.

Isaac and I held hands on the way to his locker, Scott following us and nagging us the whole way. "They're just trying to get to you. And by the looks of it, you're letting them!"

"Hm, you know, defending myself and my girlfriend seems like a good enough reason to watch them beat the snot out of each other." Isaac said, letting my hand go to open his locker. His eyes went over Scott's head to look at something across the hallway. Scott and I followed his gaze.

Aiden was putting the moves on Lydia. I couldn't hear what was being said, but whatever it was, she was pretending not to like it while milking it up at the same time. Lydia leaned back against her locker and said something to Aiden that made him smile. Seeing him smile made me want to hurl.

"Looks like they're getting to you too," Isaac told Scott. The bell rang, warning us to hurry to our next class. Isaac started to walk me to my next class, theatre.

"Other than pissing you guys off, what do you think is their grand plan?" I asked. Isaac shrugged.

"Not sure, and maybe today during detention I can see if I can work on it?"

"How are you going to work on it during detention?"

Isaac snorted. "Your lack of faith in me is insulting." I laughed too, then stopped as something entered my mind. Isaac heard my accelerated heartbeat and glanced at me sharply.

"What's up, Tea?" Isaac asked, stopping as we got right outside my theatre class. I swallowed before answering.

"You know how we've been dating for almost five months now?" I asked. Isaac rolled his eyes.

"If you consider chasing down missing werewolves and being chased by evil Alphas dating, then yes. What about it?"

"Well, the thing is, you haven't met my parents yet." I said, leaving him to put those puzzle pieces together. Isaac's eyes widened and he looked, as far as Isaac facial expressions go, really nervous.

"How the heck did this come up?" Isaac asked.

"My mom pointed it out the other day and ordered me to invite you to dinner this weekend." I answered, feeling my face turn red. Isaac's face turned red too, though he had a real look of fear on his face.

"I guess that'd be a good idea, but I won't enjoy it."

"Don't worry; I don't think either of us will enjoy it." I gave a quick kiss on the lips before disappearing into the theatre room.


	7. 7: Meet the Parents

Mom was wearing her favorite dress. It was flowered and reminded me of what the mom from That 70's Show wore. She was looking forward to meeting Isaac tonight and it had been showing all week, ever since he agreed to come over. Mom even went as far as to ask me for his favorite food. I told her that she was over-thinking this. Mom fired back saying that this is the most normal thing that's happened in a long time.

Chelsea seemed to be on Mom's side here. She had already met Isaac at school and already liked him, but she was anticipating him meeting the parents. Dad, on the other hand, had built a strong wall around himself and was already judging Isaac worse than Simon would.

Isaac was a nervous wreck walking up my front steps. The second I had seen Derek's sports car whip away from the driveway, leaving Isaac alone, I had ran outside to greet him. Isaac had this look on his face that screamed "Help me!"

I was surprised to see him clutching a flower: a rose. Isaac grinned at me when I got close enough, but it was forced and he looked like he was about to bolt.

"Did you bring my mom a flower?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Isaac glanced down at it; he was holding very carefully, trying not to prick himself on any thorns.

"Is it too much? Cora said that bringing flowers is a wuss thing to do but Peter told me that your mom would hate me if I didn't. I panicked." Isaac looked like he was about to toss the rose into the bushes if I said that it was too much.

Instead I laughed. "My mom's gonna love you for it. Now come one inside, we need to get this night over with." Isaac nodded and followed me uncertainly towards the house. I reached behind myself and grabbed at his hand. Then he visibly relaxed.

"Welcome to our home, Isaac," Mom said happily the second he walked through the door. I resisted the urge to tell them that Isaac has already snuck in a few times. Dad narrowed his eyes at him and wrinkled his nose. Isaac stuck out the flower stiffly to Mom.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Waid," He said politely. Mom took the flower and smiled widely at Isaac. She bustled off, muttering about putting it in some water. I led Isaac into the kitchen, where dinner was already ready.

Chelsea and I started to set the table. Isaac started to help but Dad called him off into the living room. Isaac threw me a nervous glance but followed Dad anyway. Chelsea groaned. "I hope Dad doesn't kill him."

"So long as he keeps those claws in, he won't be in any trouble." Mom said from the stove where she was making plates of spaghetti. I had told my parents all about the werewolf drama from the past year and let's just say that neither of my parents were happy that I had picked a werewolf to be my boyfriend.

Mom soon called both boys into the kitchen and Isaac took the seat right next to me. Dad watched him carefully. "So, Isaac, you're a part of Teanna's pack?"

"Yes sir," Isaac answered right before taking a bite at his spaghetti.

"And this Derek, is he a good Alpha?" Dad asked. Figures that he'd wanted to know about my life as a phoenicis.

"Well, he's the only Alpha I've had so I assume he's good." Isaac said, trying to make a joke. When no one laughed, Isaac backtracked. "Derek's top priority is always his pack members, especially Tea here. Between me and Derek, you guys have nothing to worry about here."

Dad snorted. "After seeing the scars of hers, I somehow don't think that that's true." Isaac stiffened and I braced myself. I knew that look on his face; Isaac never really thought before he spoke, that was his problem and it never mattered who he was around, whatever popped into Isaac's head, he blurted it out.

"I admit that people get hurt; there's no way to avoid that. But like I said, Derek's and my top priority is always Tea. The only reason she would get hurt if is she's doing her job."

"Isaac's right," I added. I didn't really want to speak out against my parents, but I had to back Isaac up here. "Putting myself in the line of fire is what I was born to do. You guys were the ones who tried to snuff that out."

That shut my parents up. We finished dinner and right as Isaac was about to leave, we both got texts from Derek telling us to go to an abandoned mall right outside of town. We left the house and hopped into my car.

As we pulled out of the driveway, I glanced over to Isaac. "I think they secretly liked you."


	8. 8: Lord of the Flies

The second Kali entered the mall, the fight had already started. I watched in horror as the Alpha twins _morphed their freaking bodies together _to make a terrifying giant Alpha. The second Isaac laid eyes on them, he left my side and charged toward them; he'd been waiting all week for a chance to tear at Aiden and now he had his chance. Scott ran after him to help.

I heard a roar as the Alpha named Ennis tried to get at me. Before I could even blink, Derek charged out from nowhere and slammed into Ennis. As Ennis went flying, Derek whipped around to look at me. "Stay out of the way until you're needed!"

I nodded and bolted out of the way, leaving Derek to deal with Ennis. Hiding behind a pillar, I watched the battle silently. Scott and Isaac were tag-teaming with the Alpha twins. But the twins were still morphed together and I noticed how Isaac was slashing more at one side than the other. Ennis and Derek were tearing at each other. I saw blood start to rise from Derek's chest and onto his shirt, but I forced myself to stay hidden. Cora and Boyd were sparring with Kali.

We were losing. I could tell even though everything was happening too fast. Kali pinned Cora underneath her creepy feet and Boyd was bleeding out. My hands started to glow orange before I could even think about healing him. Scott was on top of Ennis while Derek tried to save Cora. Isaac was thrown into a concrete slab of wall. I hissed through my teeth and grimaced but Isaac got right back up and launched himself right back onto Ethan and Aiden.

Scott screamed suddenly. I whipped my head around from Isaac and the twins to where Scott was losing against Ennis. I could barely see what was happening between the two of them, but I could've sworn that I saw Scott's golden eyes flash an angry, Alpha-shade of red. What the...?

Derek came out of nowhere and threw Ennis off of Scott. Scott's eyes went from that flashing red back to its normal and bright golden color. But then Derek and Ennis were getting too close to the edge.

"_Derek!_" I screamed, running from my hiding place to where Derek went over the edge, dragging Ennis with him. I slid to a stop with Scott right beside me. I stared down with horror at the two bodies sprawled out on the broken escalator. Tears sprang into my eyes when I stared at the dark form of Derek.

The Alpha pack ran away from the fight. Cora limped heavily over to where Scott and I were standing. She let out a wet sob and buried her face in her hands. Boyd looked like he was in a tremendous amount of pain but he still dragged himself over to where we stood. Isaac returned from chasing after the Alphas.

I roughly wiped my tears from my face and hurried to Boyd, my hands glowing orange again. He looked at me nervously before giving me a hug. Boyd soon sighed with relief as the pain left his body. As soon as Boyd was fully healed I went straight for Cora, who needed both physical and emotional healing. I still was skeptical if I could heal the latter, but hey, it was worth a try.

Cora buried her face into my shoulder, just like Derek had done a few weeks ago when we found Erica, and I let her cry into there. Scott finally stood up and began to talk to Isaac in a hushed voice. I patted Cora on the back and thought back to Scott's eyes and how they had turned an Alpha shade of red. Was it even remotely possible that Scott was our Alpha now?

* * *

I got onto the bus with Stiles and Scott right in front of me. Isaac and Boyd followed me. Coach had announced to all of his Economics classes that all of those who participated in some track meet, then we would get extra credit. I didn't particularly need it, but it gave me something to do. I was still in shock from what happened that night at the abandoned mall.

Isaac and Boyd sat together in the middle of the bus. Scott and I agreed that Isaac should be able to keep Boyd calm during the ride. Isaac had agreed, though I really wasn't comfortable with the way Scott was talking to me as if I was his second in command. I was Derek's. When we looked back down for bodies a few hours later, both of them were gone. There had been signs that someone had walked away and that another had been dragged. I refused to believe that my Alpha was dead. Derek was my Alpha and nothing was going to change that.

I took the seat right in front of Scott and Stiles. By sticking my feet out onto the seat, I managed to keep that seat to myself. I scowled at Ethan and Danny as they sat down together a few rows up. Finally, everyone was sitting down and Coach graced us with his presence.

"Alright, people listen up! The place we're heading for is a good five hour drive. And if any of you puke or irritate me in any way, I will personally chuck your butt of this bus!" He blew that stupid whistle of his. "Now let's go!"

The bus growled to life and we pulled out of the school parking lot. Several students who couldn't come were waving us off and wishing everyone luck. Stiles had started to read off words to Scott, prepping him for the ACT. I glanced around at the remains of my pack and took out my copy of _Lord of the Flies_. Isaac and I were both reading it because Peter had made several quotes from it during the summer. Curious, we had both bought the book and we were around the same place. I flinched at what was happening in the book; poor Piggy...

Eventually, I got tired of reading the antics of poor kids going crazy on an island and plugged my ear buds into my ears, closing my eyes tightly.

It didn't matter how hard I tried: I still saw the outline of Derek's broken body against my eyelids.


	9. 9: Not Broken

Scott groaned in pain for the tenth time as the bus went over another bump. I glanced up from my iPod to scan him over again. I had already offered to heal him like four times already but Scott shot me down every time. He was struggling to hold on to the idea that he was healing.

"This is going to take forever," Stiles grumbled from his seat, craning his neck to glare at the front of the bus. I followed his gaze; he was glaring at where Ethan was sitting with Danny. Ethan checked his phone and Stiles hissed through his teeth. "He's been checking his phone, like, every five minutes."

"Who do you think he's waiting for?" I asked. Stiles shrugged.

"Whoever it is, I bet that they're _evil_," Stiles said. I rolled my eyes.

"You always think people are evil,"

"Not everyone! Only the _evil _ones,"

"If it's bothering you two so much, why don't you ask him," Scott said stiffly from his window seat. I'm sure that he didn't mean it literally, but Stiles and I exchanged a glance and whipped out our phones.

Both of us texting Danny caused a long series of beeps from Danny's phone. He texted us back a few times, saying no. I stopped the annoying texting while Stiles picked it up several notches. I could hear the loud beeps from the back of the bus.

Finally, my phone vibrated with a text from Danny. I read it really quickly before showing it to Stiles. He snorted. "So a family member is sick, right? And why did Danny text you and not me?"

"Danny likes me better than you." I told him bluntly, taking my phone back.

"How'd you figure that out?"

"He told me," I said. Stiles opened his mouth and shut it again. The bus went over another bump and Scott groaned. I turned to him. "Scott, you're torturing yourself. Let me heal you before I burn your butt."

"You can try," Scott said weakly, holding his arm out for me. I made sure that the coast was clear before letting my hand glow orange and gently holding his arm. He grimaced and then relaxed. After we were finished, I leaned over my seat to grab at Scott's shirt. The wound had sealed itself up, but barely. I shook my head. Either my healing wasn't working again, or Scott wasn't letting me heal him.

Several minutes later, I couldn't help but notice that something was up with Boyd. His body was a whole lot stiffer than normal and Isaac was hissing something into his ear. I quickly pointed it out to Stiles and Scott. Scott growled to himself and stood up suddenly. He inhaled sharply as his wound opened and started to bleed, but he forced himself up to where Boyd and Isaac were sitting.

"We've got to stop this bus," Stiles said quietly, almost to himself. "If we don't then Scott's just gonna get worse." I nodded.

"How do you plan on doing that?" I asked. Stiles looked around the bus for a while, long enough for Scott to return. I thought that he had given up on the plan when he sprang to his feet and dashed to the front of the bus. He was going to try and convince Coach to stop...

"What's up with Stiles?" Scott asked. I shrugged, pretending not to know.

Coach shot down Stiles's plan by yelling at him. I shook my head, knowing that Coach wouldn't risk being late for the track meet. Stiles was on his way back when he passed Jeremy, a boy in my history class who'd been fighting the urge to throw up the entire trip so far.

"You've got to be kidding me," I mumbled as Stiles sat down next to poor Jeremy. Five seconds later, the bus whipped to the side of the road as Jeremy upchucked all over the floor.

"I hate you Stiles," I said as we started walking to the nearest rest stop. Stiles laughed.

"It worked, didn't it?" Stiles asked with cockiness dripping from his voice.

Isaac caught up to us and wove his hand into mine. Boyd followed us more slowly, but surrounded Scott all the same. I noticed that we had all, without meaning to, surrounded Scott as he slowly limped towards the rest stop. I sighed and continued walking along with my pack.

* * *

"Scott collapsed in the bathroom." Stiles reported breathlessly. I huffed angrily as Lydia joined us. I hadn't exactly been surprised when Alison and Lydia showed up after we made it to the rest stop. But they were a welcome sight, sort of. Alison was still peeved at me for choosing Derek, but you could tell that she was trying to make it up now since that...

"We need to stall the bus before it takes off again," I said. Stiles and Lydia nodded before hurrying off. Boyd went to guard to bathroom so that no one entered while Alison tried to help Scott. That left me and Isaac alone for the time being.

"We haven't been alone like this for a while now," Isaac said. I glanced around: we were surrounded by other students. Isaac read my mind the way he did and laughed. "Well, you know what I mean."

We weren't alone for that long because Ethan approached us slowly. Isaac stiffened and a growl came from deep in his throat. I stiffened as well and narrowed my eyes. Ethan stopped and looked from Isaac to me.

"I don't have a white flag," He said. "But I came to talk to you privately, Tea."

"Like hell," Isaac snarled. "There's no way I'm leaving Tea alone with one of you Alphas again." Ethan rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Fine; you can stand there like the guard dog you are." Ethan turned fully to me now. "Look, I didn't know about what Aiden did to you until the other day. And he went with scaring you the complete wrong way. So I just came to apologize on his behalf."

"On his behalf?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows. "He sent his brother to say he was sorry for something that was completely out of line?"

Ethan took a few steps forward, which was his mistake. Isaac strode out to meet him and pushed him back. Ethan glared at Isaac before pushing him back. And then Isaac threw the first punch.

A circle of kids swamped around us as Isaac and Ethan rolled on the ground, throwing punches at each other. Boyd dashed to my side, making sure that I was okay. Derek's rule was still a priority with him, it looked like. Isaac managed to pin Ethan to the ground and punched him in the face until Scott burst through the circle, his presence commanding attention.

"Isaac!" Scott's yell pierced through the air and silenced everyone, causing us all to freeze. Isaac looked up from Ethan's bloody face to Scott. A silent moment passed between them in which Isaac scrambled off of Ethan and by my side. Danny helped Ethan to his feet, all while glaring at Isaac.

Coach's shrill whistle sounded. "Everyone on the bus now!"

I fell in behind Stiles with Isaac on one side and Boyd on the other.


	10. 10: Motel California

Several hours later, the bus pulled into the parking lot of a motel. The glowing neon sign lit up Isaac's chiseled face and sent long shadows stretching down it. I let out a long and tired breath and leaned up against him. Isaac reacted immediately by wrapping his arm tightly around me. The bus jerked to a stop, which forced Scott to wake up. He'd been sleeping ever since the ordeal at the rest stop.

Everyone on the bus slowly unloaded and met Coach in front of our bags, which were currently being unloaded from the bus. "Alright!" Coach yelled as soon as everyone had formed a loose circle around him. "Because the meet has been postponed until tomorrow, we'll be camping here tonight and we'll get there tomorrow. So group up but I won't take any sexual perversions going on while we're here, you little deviants."

"Oh dammit," Isaac snorted. I felt my face turn bright red and was grateful for the exaggerated shadows that surrounded the whole group. Then everyone began to separate and decide who to spend the night with. Of course, Scott and Stiles got a room while Isaac and Boyd settled for each other. Alison grabbed a key from Coach and corralled Lydia and I to her before leading the way to our room.

"Do you think there's any chance of us meeting up later tonight?" Isaac asked me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What for?"

"I know that Coach put his foot down and everything, but what he wouldn't know won't hurt him, right?" Isaac wriggled his eyebrows seductively. I forced a laugh and felt my face turn even redder.

"Isaac, I'm not gonna sleep with you at someplace like this," I told him. Isaac laughed loudly and said that it was worth a shot before following Boyd to their room. I turned back toward Lydia and Alison. Alison was pointedly ignoring me while Lydia had a knowing look on her face. "What?"

"Oh nothing!" Lydia replied in a sing-song voice.

We made it to our room and Alison immediately ran to the bathroom to take a shower. Although we were on rough terms right now, I couldn't help but feel sort of sorry for her for what she had to do for Scott back at the rest stop. He nearly died on her watch; something like that would traumatize any sane person.

"I think we need more towels, don't you?" Lydia asked. I quickly swept the room with my eyes before agreeing. "There should be some up at the front. Let's go."

"What about Alison?" I asked, getting the sudden feeling that we shouldn't be separating. Lydia frowned at me.

"She's taking a shower and using the last of the clean towels. I'm sure that she'll be fine."

Still not convinced, I left the room with Lydia anyway. I tried telling myself that I was just overreacting, but at the same time I now felt haunted and hunted. We reached the office, where the owner, a very elderly woman, was sitting with her back to us. "Excuse me, can we get some extra towels for our room." Lydia asked with an edge of attitude in her voice. I hung back a little, still nervous about this place.

The owner turned around to face us directly. I found my eyes drawn right to her throat, where an tracheotomy tube sat right in the middle of her throat. Without thinking about it, I reached up to my own throat and rubbed at the bumpy scar that stretched across it. The old woman noticed my movement and quickly saw my scar. She smirked and shook her head.

"It's annoying isn't it?" She asked me in a voice that reminded me of someone trying to imitate a broken down robot. I nodded, loosing my voice. The woman smirked again and looked at Lydia. "What is it that you girls needed?"

"Extra towels," Lydia said softly. The woman nodded and left the cramped office. Once she was gone, I was able to see a framed picture that had been on the wall behind her. I nudged Lydia and brought her attention to it. Right when the woman returned with the towels, Lydia pointed it out.

"Why do you have a framed picture of the number one-hundred-ninety-eight?" Lydia asked. The woman turned around to glance at it and turned back with a sick smile on her face.

"It's sort of an inside joke about this motel."

"What's the joke?" Lydia asked, looking more nervous than before. The woman cackled.

"This motel just so happens to have the highest rate of suicides in all of the state of California." The woman looked strangely happy about this fact.

Lydia and I exchanged a terrified look before staring back at the framed picture of the numbers. "One hundred and ninety-eight suicides," I breathed, feeling even more uneasy about this place.

"And counting," The owner added evilly, cackling as she did so. Lydia quickly took the towels from her and together we jogged back away from the owner and into the dark night.

When we made it back to our room, Alison was out of the shower and Lydia was ranting. She quickly explained everything that the owner told us about the motel to Alison and started to do the math in her head.

"Over the forty years that this place has been running the number one hundred and ninety-eight comes down to an average of four point ninety-five suicides per year which isn't unexpected. But why would the owner freaking _frame _the number of suicides in their office? And there are countless means of killing yourself: hanging, throat cutting, pill popping, both barrels of a shotgun in the mouth-"

"Lydia!" I shouted. Lydia stopped her frantic rant and stared at me blankly. "You freaking out isn't going to help with anything. If it makes you feel better, then we could...what are you looking at?"

Lydia was staring at some area just over my head. I followed her gaze to see that she was eyeing down the air vent. Alison and I exchanged a glance filled with worry. And then Lydia let out a blood curdling "NO!" and ran out of the room.

"Lydia, wait!" Alison screamed and ran after her. I quickly followed them into the next room. It was a construction area. Lydia was standing in the middle of it, looking horrified and confused.

"We need to get out of here," I mumbled. I stepped back outside of the room to get some air when something moved out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see Isaac standing at the far end of the hall. "Isaac?"

Isaac stared blankly at me before turning away and walking back to where his room was. I glanced back into the construction room where Alison was trying to talk some sense into Lydia. I quickly muttered to them where I was going and then followed my boyfriend, not really thinking ahead or what could go wrong about this place.


End file.
